Fencers Using their Heads to Promote Campus Safety

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LA JOLLA, Calif. - Looking to improve the safety of its student-athletes, the University of California San Diego fencing team is piloting a program that will help protect the Tritons' most important asset - their brains.

With an enrollment of over 36,000, the La Jolla campus is teeming with automobiles, buses, pedestrians, bicyclists, and skateboarders. The bustling environment fosters a sense of community and integration, but can also set the scene for unfortunate accidents.

Following several incidents involving members of the fencing squad that resulted in more than one concussion, the team came together and made a decision to implement a rule requiring its student-athletes to wear a helmet while biking or skateboarding on campus.

"We had a discussion of the pros and cons and it was a collective decision," said head coach Juan Ignacio Calderon.

Enter action sports protective equipment manufacturer Triple 8 and La Jolla skate shop Adrenalina. When contacted by Calderon, both entities backed the initiative and provided helmets to the team at a discounted cost.

The Triton fencers are hoping to set an example for not just other athletic teams, but everyone on campus.

About UC San Diego AthleticsWith 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles, and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in the summer of 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's pre-eminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

Follow the TritonsFor complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDTritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@UCSDTritons), Instagram (@UCSDTritons) and Facebook (UCSDTritons). For more information on UC San Diego Fencing, follow on Instagram (@tritonsfencing) and Facebook.